Sunday, October 11, 2009
HamPoll
Just a note that I've recently been blogging at HamPoll for the student survey group I run at Hamilton College. Also added my Twitter feed, in an effort to consolidate my online presence.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Inauguration Report
(I realize I haven't updated my blog in a year and a half; perhaps being in Washington, D.C. this semester will encourage me to do so more often. In any case, here's a piece for you all about my experiences at Barack Obama's inauguration).
At first, the streets of Washington were not particularly crowded. When I stepped outside into the brisk, gray dawn at 7 a.m., there were only sporadic bikers and small clumps of people hurrying to Metro stations. My roommate and I had decided to rise early to try and beat the crowd to the National Mall--the night before, there were rumors of vast throngs and endless waiting, despite the predicted snow. We shared gloves, socks, and directions in what we expected to be an adventure.
Only when we reached F Street, when a herd of buses stormed by, did I begin to realize how large the event would be. The clumps of pedestrians increased in size. I bought a copy of the inaugural edition of the Washington Post from a street vendor, and saw its full-page print of Barack Obama's newly minted portrait--a more somber expression than his usual smiling photographs. By the time we turned the corner towards the National Mall, the stream of people had become a flood, and urgency was in the air.
Hawkers selling food and hand-warming heat packets picked their way through the crowd of customers. Seagulls swarmed over the lawn of the Washington Monument. Volunteers for the event, in bright red hats, stood in lines just to give hi-fives to the insistent groups pressing by. After fighting to move forward in the crowd, which became denser and denser as we approached the distant Capitol, we settled for standing in front of the third giant television screen from the Reflecting Pool. The crowds there were less rabid on pressing for a good view, and the weather was mild (warmer than expected, though there was much stomping to keep the chill out of one's boots). Some rabble-rousers occasionally raised cries of "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!" but they soon died out in the cold and gravity of the day.
With American society now used to constant information, it was no surprise that giant television screens were broadcasting the celebrity concert of Sunday night while we waited. A host of world-renowned performers (Bono, Beyonce, Garth Brooks) played classic songs, culminating in an ancient Pete Seeger leading the audience in "This Land Is Your Land." When the audience took up the call and raised their voices around us, I realized in my heart just how much it meant that a black man could finally reach the Oval Office, helping to prove "this land was made for you and me."
We waited on our feet for hours while the children's choir sang, the marching band played, and dignitary after dignitary of the government was announced and filed into their seats. The tight linkages of Washington politics were palpable--the shifting focus of the camera showed that it mattered greatly who went in with whom, who they shook hands with, who avoided each other. The former presidents were all there--George H.W. Bush showing his years more and more, Bill Clinton seeming to struggle with Hillary over whether they should hold hands, and Jimmy Carter looking satisfied as he curtly greeted Clinton. George W. Bush was one of the last to enter, followed by Vice President Cheney in a wheelchair (Cheney having pulled his back moving out of the White House). A glimpse of Bush produced scattered boos from our crowd; for all the glorification in the day's speeches of a peaceful transfer of power, there was no love lost in Washington for the outgoing leader.
The crowd broke into cheering every time the screen showed even a glimpse of the president-elect (and to a lesser extent, Joe Biden). When Obama finally entered to take his seat, to enormous applause, he looked nervous--his eyes were closed during Rick Warren's invocation, as if he realized he was about to cross a bridge over which there was no return.
The moments prior to the oath were broken up by artistic pieces. Aretha Franklin sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee," a curious echo for me of her appearance at Hamilton as a Sacerdote Great Names speaker in 2007. Most impressive was the first classical quartet ever played at an inauguration, composed by John Williams and played by luminary musicians. In the soaring strains of the piece, I again felt keenly the hope that Obama sought to bring.
The presidential oath was stumbled, due to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts making an error but Obama recovered and finished the oath. After that, he seemed to relax, and his inaugural speech was just as moving as the ones he had used on the campaign trail--for the first time, his promises of international cooperation and real change held certain weight. He was direct about the economic crisis, suggesting hard work and service would be needed to overcome our country's challenges. The crowd roared when he finished.
While I was not impressed by the inaugural poet, who seemed to grab too much at the feeling that Obama, Williams, and Seeger had already invoked artlessly, the benediction by Joseph Lowry perfectly sealed the ceremony with a call for tolerance and a bit of humor.
On the way out of the inauguration, where the crowds were mired in barricades and tempers began to flare, I did notice some conflicts with Obama's essential message. For all that can be preached about American selflessness and service, ideals of cooperation can be quickly left behind in a mass of people longing to move out of the cold. Inaugural buttons and memorabilia were being sold for inflated prices. President Bush's helicopter made its last circuit around the city. Streets were blocked and the walk home long. While the inauguration of President Barack Obama has been no panacea, and our nation has maintained many of its petty divisions, it hinted above all at a chance for improvement and a realization that, for a brief moment, our nation can unite around a vision of hope.
At first, the streets of Washington were not particularly crowded. When I stepped outside into the brisk, gray dawn at 7 a.m., there were only sporadic bikers and small clumps of people hurrying to Metro stations. My roommate and I had decided to rise early to try and beat the crowd to the National Mall--the night before, there were rumors of vast throngs and endless waiting, despite the predicted snow. We shared gloves, socks, and directions in what we expected to be an adventure.
Only when we reached F Street, when a herd of buses stormed by, did I begin to realize how large the event would be. The clumps of pedestrians increased in size. I bought a copy of the inaugural edition of the Washington Post from a street vendor, and saw its full-page print of Barack Obama's newly minted portrait--a more somber expression than his usual smiling photographs. By the time we turned the corner towards the National Mall, the stream of people had become a flood, and urgency was in the air.
Hawkers selling food and hand-warming heat packets picked their way through the crowd of customers. Seagulls swarmed over the lawn of the Washington Monument. Volunteers for the event, in bright red hats, stood in lines just to give hi-fives to the insistent groups pressing by. After fighting to move forward in the crowd, which became denser and denser as we approached the distant Capitol, we settled for standing in front of the third giant television screen from the Reflecting Pool. The crowds there were less rabid on pressing for a good view, and the weather was mild (warmer than expected, though there was much stomping to keep the chill out of one's boots). Some rabble-rousers occasionally raised cries of "O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!" but they soon died out in the cold and gravity of the day.
With American society now used to constant information, it was no surprise that giant television screens were broadcasting the celebrity concert of Sunday night while we waited. A host of world-renowned performers (Bono, Beyonce, Garth Brooks) played classic songs, culminating in an ancient Pete Seeger leading the audience in "This Land Is Your Land." When the audience took up the call and raised their voices around us, I realized in my heart just how much it meant that a black man could finally reach the Oval Office, helping to prove "this land was made for you and me."
We waited on our feet for hours while the children's choir sang, the marching band played, and dignitary after dignitary of the government was announced and filed into their seats. The tight linkages of Washington politics were palpable--the shifting focus of the camera showed that it mattered greatly who went in with whom, who they shook hands with, who avoided each other. The former presidents were all there--George H.W. Bush showing his years more and more, Bill Clinton seeming to struggle with Hillary over whether they should hold hands, and Jimmy Carter looking satisfied as he curtly greeted Clinton. George W. Bush was one of the last to enter, followed by Vice President Cheney in a wheelchair (Cheney having pulled his back moving out of the White House). A glimpse of Bush produced scattered boos from our crowd; for all the glorification in the day's speeches of a peaceful transfer of power, there was no love lost in Washington for the outgoing leader.
The crowd broke into cheering every time the screen showed even a glimpse of the president-elect (and to a lesser extent, Joe Biden). When Obama finally entered to take his seat, to enormous applause, he looked nervous--his eyes were closed during Rick Warren's invocation, as if he realized he was about to cross a bridge over which there was no return.
The moments prior to the oath were broken up by artistic pieces. Aretha Franklin sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee," a curious echo for me of her appearance at Hamilton as a Sacerdote Great Names speaker in 2007. Most impressive was the first classical quartet ever played at an inauguration, composed by John Williams and played by luminary musicians. In the soaring strains of the piece, I again felt keenly the hope that Obama sought to bring.
The presidential oath was stumbled, due to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts making an error but Obama recovered and finished the oath. After that, he seemed to relax, and his inaugural speech was just as moving as the ones he had used on the campaign trail--for the first time, his promises of international cooperation and real change held certain weight. He was direct about the economic crisis, suggesting hard work and service would be needed to overcome our country's challenges. The crowd roared when he finished.
While I was not impressed by the inaugural poet, who seemed to grab too much at the feeling that Obama, Williams, and Seeger had already invoked artlessly, the benediction by Joseph Lowry perfectly sealed the ceremony with a call for tolerance and a bit of humor.
On the way out of the inauguration, where the crowds were mired in barricades and tempers began to flare, I did notice some conflicts with Obama's essential message. For all that can be preached about American selflessness and service, ideals of cooperation can be quickly left behind in a mass of people longing to move out of the cold. Inaugural buttons and memorabilia were being sold for inflated prices. President Bush's helicopter made its last circuit around the city. Streets were blocked and the walk home long. While the inauguration of President Barack Obama has been no panacea, and our nation has maintained many of its petty divisions, it hinted above all at a chance for improvement and a realization that, for a brief moment, our nation can unite around a vision of hope.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Inside Conservatism
Fascinating article. A liberal reporter goes undercover on the National Review cruise. The predominant sentiment was intense hatred of Muslims.
Fellow APP students might enjoy this quote from Dinesh D'Souza:
(remember, he's from India, so this cuts both ways... aggrandizes him and belittles Mexicans. Never mind, of course, that he wouldn't have been able to enter this country without President Johnson's liberalization of immigration laws)
Check it out:
AlterNet: Neocons on a Cruise: What Conservatives Say When They Think We Aren't Listening
Fellow APP students might enjoy this quote from Dinesh D'Souza:
Dinesh D'Souza announced as we entered Mexican seas what he calls "D'Souza's law of immigration": " The quality of an immigrant is inversely proportional to the distance travelled to get to the United States."
(remember, he's from India, so this cuts both ways... aggrandizes him and belittles Mexicans. Never mind, of course, that he wouldn't have been able to enter this country without President Johnson's liberalization of immigration laws)
Check it out:
AlterNet: Neocons on a Cruise: What Conservatives Say When They Think We Aren't Listening
Saturday, July 14, 2007
A Lesson in Media Literacy
Check this out: the AP has the story as "Withdrawing From Iraq Would Be Difficult"; the Washington Post has "Mixon: U.S. Troop Reduction Could Begin in Jan. 2008". The articles reference the same general in Iraq, but the Post points to his indication that forces could withdraw in January while the AP says the general "added that it would be a mistake to begin any withdrawal [...] before January 2008." Interesting.
Also in the AP article, Robert Gates has this to say:
So... apparently military bases in Iraq are still on the table despite 70% public opposition to the war...
Also in the AP article, Robert Gates has this to say:
Gates added that the withdrawal plans would also depend on [...] whether the U.S. has any limited or permanent facilities in the country, the number of forces there and where they could be located.
None of those questions have been answered yet, he said.
So... apparently military bases in Iraq are still on the table despite 70% public opposition to the war...
Monday, July 02, 2007
Pentagon pays millions to shred planes it paid millions to build
The US military [is] paying a defense contractor at least $900,000 to shred F-14 fighter jets it paid hundreds of millions to private contractors to build, in the newest twist to what President Eisenhower once dubbed the "military-industrial complex."So, let me get this straight... Iran was US ally in the 1970s. US gave Iran F-14 planes. Thirty years later, US and Iran hate each other. US pays almost a million dollars to destroy planes so Iran can't have them. Meanwhile, 19.2% of the world population live on less than one dollar of purchasing power per day.
The irony here is that the planes were destroyed because the Associated Press warned about the danger of F-14 parts getting to Iran.
Crazy...
read more | digg story
The Internet Hasn't Made Us Smarter
From Wired: Despite the Web, Americans Remain Woefully Ill-Informed
Not much to be surprised about here... after all, over 30% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11 as of September of last year, despite the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission Report to the contrary. Although the Internet has done a lot to improve opportunities for education, it depends on the willingness of people to seek out new sources.
There is some hope for the Web; for example, Americans reading major newspaper web sites did best on a poll of knowledge about current events, even better than readers of daily print newspapers or network news. But the Internet isn't all it's cracked up to be--people reading news blogs did only slightly better than network news viewers.
Of course, the Daily Show / Colbert Report ranked second on the list... but I would guess a lot of that is due to correlated factors, since Daily Show viewers tend to consume other media as well...
Not much to be surprised about here... after all, over 30% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11 as of September of last year, despite the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission Report to the contrary. Although the Internet has done a lot to improve opportunities for education, it depends on the willingness of people to seek out new sources.
There is some hope for the Web; for example, Americans reading major newspaper web sites did best on a poll of knowledge about current events, even better than readers of daily print newspapers or network news. But the Internet isn't all it's cracked up to be--people reading news blogs did only slightly better than network news viewers.
Of course, the Daily Show / Colbert Report ranked second on the list... but I would guess a lot of that is due to correlated factors, since Daily Show viewers tend to consume other media as well...
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Nerd Rapture
From Reuters.com:
For a few seconds I was tempted to consider an iPhone. Then rational thought kicked in--it's $2000 (the cost of the first year of service included) for a computer that you can lose on the bus. The web browsing is limited. The phone only takes AT&T's service plan. Pretty big trade-off for the (nerd enrapturing) ability to pinch your screen...
"Indeed, the iPhone's inclusion of so many features into a sleek package triggered a sort of nerd rapture among enthralled gadget freaks."Pretty much sums it up. Ahhh, nerd rapture.
For a few seconds I was tempted to consider an iPhone. Then rational thought kicked in--it's $2000 (the cost of the first year of service included) for a computer that you can lose on the bus. The web browsing is limited. The phone only takes AT&T's service plan. Pretty big trade-off for the (nerd enrapturing) ability to pinch your screen...
Friday, June 29, 2007
Scientists find way to separate HIV virus from cells
Nothing brightens your day like a shot of hope
in the morning. While a cure is still a good ways off, scientists have now found a way to isolate and remove HIV DNA from infected cells. This is good news for literally millions of people, and could offer new life to areas of the world stricken by AIDS.
Now, we just have to be careful that pharmaceutical companies don't patent this enzyme and try to sell it for exorbitant rates... it was developed by a German research institute, so perhaps there's hope...
in the morning. While a cure is still a good ways off, scientists have now found a way to isolate and remove HIV DNA from infected cells. This is good news for literally millions of people, and could offer new life to areas of the world stricken by AIDS.
Now, we just have to be careful that pharmaceutical companies don't patent this enzyme and try to sell it for exorbitant rates... it was developed by a German research institute, so perhaps there's hope...
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